PowerPoint Presentation

City Council Item of Special Interest:
Increase Number of Paramedics in the Fire 
Department
Fire Chief Freeburg: November 28, 2023

Tier II Balanced Scorecard
• Optimize Recruitment and Retention
• The Glendale Fire Department will strive to achieve adequate 
recruitment and retention for its employees and future employees by 
focusing on developing strong, diverse, and well-educated candidates 
and to provide enhanced skills and knowledge through training 
standards. The foundations of recruitment and retention will focus on 
providing education, benefits, and wellness to its employees and 
provide employees with any and every tool they need to be successful.
• Strengthen Training
• The Glendale Fire Department will strengthen training by enhancing the 
training process, offering more training opportunities, strengthening 
succession planning and strengthening leadership development.

CIOSI – Paramedics
• Mayor Jerry Weiers requested at the August 22, 2023, 
City Council Meeting to review if the current number of 
certified paramedics working for the City of Glendale 
Fire Department is appropriate to meet the current 
staffing model demands deployed by the Fire 
Department and review all options for meeting 
identified shortages without adding additional shortages 
to staffing.

CIOSI – Paramedics
• Problem Statement
• The City of Glendale Fire Department is utilizing their off-duty 
paramedics on call back as overtime, sometimes mandatorily, to 
constantly staff our paramedic seat assignments.
• Goals
• Reduce the reliance on overtime; whether it be voluntarily working 
overtime, emergency services holdover, or mandatory overtime, for our 
incumbent workforce certified as paramedics.

• Works under and as an extension of 
our Medical Director’s license
Online and Off-line Direction
Standing Orders
• Can establish intravenous (IV) therapy 
and administer more than 35+ 
approved medications
• Can interpret electrocardiogram (EKG) 
and treat cardiac issues
• Can provide electrical therapy for 
heart conditions (i.e. – defibrillate, 
pace)
• Can provide invasive medical 
procedure (i.e. – cricothyrotomy and 
needle decompression)
• Nine-month Program
• 19 weeks of classroom
Student on 40HR schedule
• 5 weeks of clinical rotations
Student on 40HR schedule
• 12 weeks of vehicular rotations
Student on 52HR schedule
• 2 weeks of National Registry 
test preparation
Student on 40HR schedule
Advanced Life Support (ALS) 
AKA - Paramedic

• BIO160 - Anatomy and Physiology
• PME201 - Advanced Cardiac Life Support  
      (ACLS)
• PME202 - Pediatric Advanced Life Support 
      (PALS)
• PME203 - Pediatric Education for Prehospital
 
      Professionals (PEPP)
• PME204 - Neonatal Resuscitation Provider 
      (NRP)
• PME205 - Advanced Medical Life Support 
      (AMLS)
• PME206 - International Trauma Life Support 
      (ITLS)
• PME240 - Prehospital Pharmacology
• PME245 - Airway Management
• PME250 - Patient Assessment
• PME251 - Medical Emergencies I
• PME252 - Medical Emergencies II
• PME253 – Medical Emergencies III
• PME254 - Technical Operations
• PME260 - Trauma Patient Management
• PME270 - Immersive Total Patient  
      
     Management Experience (ITPME)
• PME280 - Preparation for Paramedicine 
 
     Practicum
• PME281 - Paramedicine Clinical Practicum:        
     Comprehensive
• PME288 - Paramedicine Comprehensive Field 
     Internship Practicum
• PME289 - Preparation for Paramedic National  
     Credentialing
Paramedic College Coursework

FD Actions Taken to Address Issue
• Re-deployment of Incumbent Workforce
• Recruitment and Hiring
• 7 Recruits in Current Academy (1 is a paramedic)
• Paramedic Training of Incumbent Workforce
• 6 Current BLS/FFs in Paramedic School
• Sent 15 to paramedic school in the previous FY (*net 8)
• Re-hire into vacancies
• (2) Former employees re-hired into vacancies (both ALS)
• Lateral hire into vacancies
• (2) BLS/FFs from other Regional FDs hired into vacancies

CIOSI Deliverable #1
• Identify if there is a staffing gap in the current number 
of certified paramedics that creates a reliance on 
overtime to constantly staff paramedic seat assignments 
and identify why the staffing gap is occurring.

CIOSI Deliverable #1: Findings
• Staffing Gap – As of the Time of this Presentation
• 246 employees assigned to 52HR
• 113 of the 246 52HR employees (45.9%) have a paramedic attribute
• Based on our organizational leave factor of 27.8%, the 113 paramedics 
create 84,943 hours of leave
• FY 23/24 YTD we have spent $800K in overtime to constantly staff 52HR 
paramedic needs
• Root cause of Staffing Gap
• Not enough trained paramedics in the incumbent workforce
• Training does not keep pace with attrition
• *Amount of time to train to a paramedic level medical attribute* 
• Organizational leave use

CIOSI Deliverable #2
• If there is a staffing gap, develop recommendations to 
address the gap and limiting the reoccurrence of the 
reason for the gap.

CIOSI Deliverable #2: Recommendations
• Invest in the current workforce
• Set 58% as the percentage of the 52HR workforce to 
have a paramedic attribute
*As of this presentation = Add 32 new paramedics
• Annually submit a supplemental to send to Paramedic 
School
*Must continue to address attrition reality

Paramedic School Cost Per Student
• 32 employees to paramedic school x $70,135 = $2.24M
• Backfill is valued at “hour for hour” while employee is in school
• 32 new paramedics x $8400 “stipend” = $269K ongoing

Next Steps
• FD will work with Budget and Finance to develop a cost-
effective financing and timing plan to achieve and 
maintain the standard of 58% of the 52HR workforce 
equipped with the paramedic attribute
• Questions…
Thank you…